Harvard Startup Pitch Competition offers springboard for Arab entrepreneurs

AMMAN — The Harvard Arab Conference last week opened its call for applications for the Harvard Arab Startup Pitch Competition, which seeks to help Arab entrepreneurs develop and establish their innovative ideas with the help of high-profile figures in the sector.

Returning for its 6th edition, the Startup Pitch Competition is part of the annual Arab Conference at Harvard, considered to be the “largest pan-Arab conference in North America”, according to the Harvard Arab Alumni Association (HAAA).

This year’s edition will be held from November 9 till 12 under the theme “Claiming Tomorrow” and will see the participation of over 1,200 people, Noha Ragab, HAAA programme director told The Jordan Times over the phone.

Citing a “critical time” both for the Arab region and the world, the Harvard Arab Conference aims to “combat discriminatory and reductive imagination surrounding the Arab world that diminishes it to geography of violence and failure”, a statement quoted the organisers as saying.

By inviting all innovative actors in the region to “highlight the geographical diversity of the Arab region”, the pitch competition seeks to refocus the public opinion on the variety of individual pioneers in the MENA region rather than negative conflict-centred perceptions, Ragab said. 

The young entrepreneurs will present their ideas and early-stage startups, which must have at least one co-founder from the MENA region, or address the MENA market with their product or service, she explained.

“As part of the Startup Pitch Competition, prospective entrepreneurs will get the opportunity to network with successful investors and entrepreneurs, discuss their business plans with experienced investors, practise pitching their ideas and potentially raise capital for their ventures,” the organisers’ statement read.

Organised by the HAAA, in cooperation with the Harvard Business School MENA club, the Startup Pitch Competition will allow entrepreneurs to test their ideas by presenting a short pitch and receiving feedback from high-profile figures in the entrepreneurship landscape. 

The winning team will receive a prize of up to $30,000 to help them establish their innovative company. 

Last year, some 10 early stage startups were pre-selected to pitch in front of a panel of experts in an event that saw the participation of more than 1,300 people.

Among all eligible startups, which need to submit their application before October 4, 10 will be selected to pitch their ideas on the last day of the conference. 

Beforehand, they will get the chance to attend the conference’s series of workshops, covering a number of relevant topics such as customer acquisition, financing, founding teams and challenges in the Middle Eastern region. 

They will also take part in the Harvard Arab Weekend “networking hours” with leading entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, investors, industry experts and other members of the startup community, the statement said.